


Must Have Done Something Right

by WingedGhoul



Category: Evolve (Video Game)
Genre: Anxiety, Embarrassed Bug Man is also a thing, Eventual Smut, Evolve - Freeform, Evolve Stage 2, First Meetings, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Gobi is precious, How do tags tbh, M/M, Male/Male, PTSD, Protectiveness, Romance, Self-Esteem Issues, Silent Mongolian and Smol Bug Man, There's also a birb, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2016-09-29
Packaged: 2018-08-17 09:08:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8138468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WingedGhoul/pseuds/WingedGhoul
Summary: Slim has finally gotten away, hiding on the planet Shear. When he sees a wounded Goliath making the place it's playpen, he decides to go after it - eventually running into the man 'Crow'. Crow offers him a place to stay, to which he accepts. Only... little did he know of his growing feelings for the trapper, but feeling far too insecure about his looks to believe that the other could ever love him back.





	1. Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> There aren't enough Crow and Slim works. I need more of these two in my life, so I took matters into my own hands. hope you enjoy! I'm trying my best for this FF. Hope I do everything right...
> 
> Edit: This story is mostly about the time that Slim and Crow spend living together and grow close to each other just so you know.

How many days had it been since he last ate? Slim couldn’t remember. Ever since he took refuge on this planet, only taking a few supplies in a pack he had carried around with him since the Mutagen wars, he needed to flee to safety due to his existence being illegal and those around him beginning to hunt him down. This planet – Shear he remembered it being called - was the best chance he had, perhaps it was also the only chance he had of surviving from the bounty that was on his head. How much it was – he wasn’t sure and he didn’t want to figure it out.

It appeared his stay on the planet had not gone unnoticed by something – or someone - little to his knowledge.

He sat down by a slowly moving, clear stream, taking a break near the bank, a cool breeze lapping at his bug-like face. It was peaceful here, helped him get lost in the sounds of the fauna around him – different avian creatures screeching and squawking in the distance along with monsters of different types letting out bellowing calls towards each other. This wasn’t a good place to rest, far too out in the open and the possibility of being attacked was high; who knew what could be stalking around out during the night time? The Basilisk soldier didn’t want to find out.

Slim forced himself to stand up, he had to find a sheltered spot as darkness began to fall – a cave of sorts or a tall tree that he could blend in with would suit him well enough. This planet had an abundance of large trees being a jungle biome, but finding the right one with the branches just the correct height off the ground was the difficult part. He didn’t want to be attacked in the middle of the night.

So, he began his search, Leech gun by his side and at the ready in-case he encountered anything that could be considered an endangerment to his life. He had been lucky; everything would glance at him before running away so far. Nothing had attempted to engage him in combat quite yet. Eventually, he stumbled upon a cave just as the sun was finally hidden and the stars were shining brightly next to the two moons the planet had rotating around it. He sat down, opening the pack and pulling out a blanket that had been ripped up, it was thin and dirty yet it was still a blanket. He wrapped it around himself after putting his pack down as a makeshift pillow, laying down on it. Sleep never came easy for him, not anymore, even if he needed it. It would put his rumbling stomach to rest until he found something to eat. The longer he sat there staring out into the dark abyss of the night with the only light being the moons, his body found rest and he fell into sleep even if he didn’t look like it.

He awoke, heart pounding just as fast as his breathing. He grabbed onto his head with both of his three-fingered clawed hands, curling up quietly as he waited for his anxiety and bad memories to pass. It was daylight – how he managed to sleep through the entirety of the night was astounding, but it had proved just how tired his body had been. Unceremoniously he shoved his ragged blanket back into the pack, slinging it over his shoulder as he stepped out of the cave. Slim needed to find something to eat, the feeling of his body eating itself would return soon enough.

He placed a hand just over his insect-like eyes, looking up to the sky to see the position of the sun to estimate what time it possibly was. Trees blocked the view, making reading the time impossible. Either way, he didn’t have time for this. He did notice something interesting as he looked at one of the trees – a Batray was looking down upon him, simply sitting there. He tilted his head in confusion. Were Batray’s native species to the planet? They could have been. There was something a bit different about this one: it wore a helmet on its head.  Some sort of tracking device perhaps to see how Batray’s lived? He decided to shrug it off, quickly stalking away from the cave and into the shrubbery. He heard it shriek after him, flying down from the branch to follow him from above.

“…” Slim stared up at it quietly as it landed on another branch. Oh, great, it was stalking him. Probably waiting for him to die so it could eat him, “I’m not planning on dying any time soon,” he spoke up at it, making a shooing motion with a clawed hand, “best leave me alone.”

It merely shrieked at him once more, seeming unfazed by his threat. He rummaged around his pack, pulling out an electric cigarette, putting it into his mouth before he began walking once more, his destination unknown. The avian creature was still following him, he could feel its eyes on him as much as it seemed to want to stay close to the tops of the trees shrieking every now and again as if to signal something. He rubbed the back of his neck, taking a drag from his cigarette and letting out a puff of smoke that smelt like peppermint, a favourite of his. He heard the bushes beside him rustle and he nearly whipped around so quickly it made his own head spin, pulling up his Leech gun. A small creature jumped out of the shrubbery, looking up to him with fear-filled eyes before it dashed off. That could have been a potential meal, but the way it looked up at him… there was something wrong.

Slim looked up to see if he could spot the Batray. As he scanned the canopy; it was nowhere to be found. This made him uneasy, even as another small creature ran past him, followed by another and another. Then, the earth began to shake. Something was heading this way, and it was _big_. Using his wings, flapping them as fast as they would go, he quickly flew up into the air, grabbing onto a branch and climbing up the tree till he saw a spot fit enough for him.

Some giant monster suddenly trampled through the area. It looked to be limping, large gashes upon its body as it ran by, scattering even more wildlife and birds that were in the direct area. A Goliath if he knew correctly, one of those monsters that nobody knew anything about. Who had wounded it? Why was it here?

As Slim pondered such thoughts, he heard that familiar screeching right next to him. That Batray was back, stationed on a tree branch right next to his own. Slim, once again, tilted his head, what was it with this creature? Why had it not even attempted to attack him – he was clearly vulnerable: Weak from not eating right or sleeping too well. The shriek it emitted brought him back to reality, just quick enough to watch it swoop down from the branch and into the jungle, vanishing from sight. He thought he spotted something glint from above, but thought nothing of it. He sighed, leaning back against the large tree’s stump, legs dangling off each side of the thick branch. Something had to be done about that Goliath before it caused any severe damage to the place. He'd go after it alone if he needed to.

With that thought, he climbed down from the tree, Leech gun in hands as he began on his way, electric cigarette still between his thin lips. If he followed the tracks, and the absolutely destroyed flora, he could take it down with how weak it itself was. Yes, it was a life-or-death situation going against such a beast, but someone had to do it. He no longer cared if he died - nobody would weep for him.

He had found some berries to eat that weren’t poisonous after traveling for a good hour, taking a break beside the large bush, Leech gun by his side as he popped a few more berries into his mouth. It wasn’t much, but it was something to calm his grumbling stomach. Yes, he could go longer without eating; a special side-affect to his spliced genes, but that didn’t mean that if he found perfectly good food he’d leave it for the next guy. He was about to reach into his pack for something, but was stopped short. 

It was then that he heard a branch break right behind him, grabbing his gun quickly he turned as fast as he could, biomechanical gun about to be raised only to be met with the barrel of another gun pointing at him. This was it. This was how he died; alone and weak with his heart racing a million miles a minute. By this rate it felt like he'd have a heart attack before he could be finished off. If he had eyelids he would have shut them and practically embraced death, but instead he had to stare it down with those faceted eyes of his. Waiting for the other to pull the trigger.

“… You’re, uh… strange,” a sudden voice spoke, bringing Slim’s attention off of the gun and right up to the male that was holding it. On his shoulder sat the Batray that he had seen not too long ago, a funny sight to see – since when were those things able to be tamed? The gun was slowly lowered, Slim far too stunned to even attempt to lift his own to try to shoot the male if this had been some sort of trick. He studied him first, looking over that strange attire, his gruff and stubbled face. Eyes un-seeable due to the goggles he wore. His outfit was interesting to say the least, same about his hood. No doubt this guy hunted creatures, a sort of trapper perhaps? His face was expressionless and stoic, a complete contrast to Slim’s own.

“… S…strange?” was all Slim managed out, his body near frozen out of fear. Could this guy be a bounty hunter? If he was, wouldn’t he have killed him yet – or at least attempted to sneak up on him so that he could capture him and take him to Hub to get his reward?

“… Never seen anything like you…” he allowed his gun to drop at his side, holding out a hand towards him, “Wanted to, uh… get a closer look at you. Didn't know what you were...”

“O-oh… uhm…” there was that moment of hesitation, the want to quickly back away from the other in-case it was a trap rising rather quickly. Yet, he shook the thought away, slowly extending a clawed hand out to grab hold of the male’s hand, being hoisted up without any effort once-so-ever. Slim was only five foot eight, this guy looked to be at least six foot two. From the sound of his voice, he may have been Mongolian. He decided introductions were best in-order “… Call me Slim, I’m… I’m a Basilisk soldier from Bode's World,” he admitted, trying so hard not to stutter. "Who.. who'er you?"

“…Crow. This is Gobi,” he gestured towards the creature with his head, to which it gave a soft chirring sound. Crow must have been a sort of nickname. Slim nodded; looking down to the ground as he backed away a few steps, his grip on his pack tight. “Slim… is interesting name.”

“Yeah, I-I guess so…” Slim muttered as his bare feet began digging into the ground, clawed toes spreading the dirt apart, some of it crumbling and covering his toes. It felt nice actually, helped him calm down a little. The other male seemed to be studying him even more as they sat in this silence; even if his eyes were covered he could feel them staring him down. Then, the other began to walk, gesturing with a hand for the other to follow him.

“Come,” he spoke softly, watching Slim from over his shoulder as he waited. The Basilisk soldier had no choice in the matter, hands clenching into fists then relaxing. He was conflicted: to follow a guy he had never seen before or to try and survive out here alone?

Seemed like following Crow was his best chance if he did want to live. Slowly he began to make his way, following behind the Mongolian, eyes to the ground as he grabbed onto his pack like it was some sort of security blanket. Could he trust this guy? What were his motives? He was honestly scared to figure out, anxiety rising – causing his stomach to tighten and twist into knots. Slim followed him despite the feeling, wondering what was going on in this guy’s head. He really didn’t talk much which was kind of interesting all on its own. He remained silent, not bothering asking any questions. His companion didn’t seem too worried about it either way.


	2. The Cabin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slim and Crow are getting to know each other, not much going on for right now.

“Exactly where, uhm… where are we going?” Slim asked, breaking the long silence between the two of them. They had been walking for what felt like hours, Crow occasionally holding up larger pieces of shrubbery that was in the way to allow Slim to pass through before taking the lead once again. Slim wasn’t tired; his body was built for traversing any sort of terrain but he wanted to know where this stranger was taking him. There was the possibility of the other male leading him into a trap. He fidgeted, clawed fingers pulling at one another as he awaited an answer.

“My place,” he answered, “not far.”

Yeah, like he’d believe that. He’d make a break for it if he was certain he could get away. With the Batray that Crow owned there was no way he’d get far without the other knowing just where he was within seconds after sending the creature out. Looked like he’d just have to go along with the ride and hope for the best. Not like he’d dare fight the guy in the condition he was in, being far too weak he wouldn’t stand a chance.

“….You don’t talk a lot, do you?” Slim questioned.

“Nope.”

“You, uh… used to being alone then?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

This guy was just full of life, wasn’t he? Slim couldn’t help but smile a little, sucking in on his electronic cigarette before pulling it out of his mouth, cleaning the end that had saliva on it before placing it gently into his pack after turning it off. He blew out the cloud of vapor, enjoying both the smell and taste of peppermint as it wafted through the air, some still resided in his mouth, being carried off by a sudden breeze. Crow stopped for a second, looking around as if he was alerted to something, Slim almost walked right into him, being stopped by a sudden hand outstretched in-front of him. “What’s wrong?”

“Shhh…” he hushed, looking around warily. Had Crow heard something that Slim had not? He remained quiet; listening to the sounds of the jungle around them, his hands kneading at his pants for a moment before the taller suddenly began to move forward. The Basilisk soldier nearly didn’t notice, quickly catching up – somewhat embarrassed that he didn’t realize, too focused on attempting to listen to the sounds of the forest around them for what may have been a potential threat.

“So… what was wrong?”

“Thought I heard something,” Crow replied.

“And? Was there something?”

“… Nothing.”

“…Ah.”

The rest of the trip was passed in silence once again, aside from the occasional cry from Gobi, passing by wildlife that ran away at the sight of them both. Slim kept his head down, eyes watching just ahead of his bare feet, the heels of Crow’s boots just barely in his sights. Why was this man even concerned about him? Who was he to care about the Basilisk soldier’s safety? His anxiety suddenly spiked and troublesome thoughts began to flood into his blank mind, thinking about how this was all a trick, the other only wanted him for the reward he was worth so he was keeping him alive for it. He didn’t even realize his breathing had increased to go along with his heartbeat, being easily heard by the other. Crow stopped, turning around before he placed a concerned hand upon Slim’s shoulder, causing him to jolt, eyes quickly looking up to him. Gobi’s head was tilted to the side, a soft chirring sound escaping him.

“You sound distressed…” Crow spoke softly, placing his other hand onto the other shoulder before coaxing Slim to sit down on the ground, gently applying force so he got the idea. Slim sat, hand to his chest as he took a moment to calm himself, avoiding eye-contact as he tried to breathe slower but to no prevail. Crow squatted beside him and unhooked something from his belt. That was when a canteen was thrust into his hands, already uncapped and seemed filled to the brim with cold water. The Basilisk soldier cocked his head to the side before directing his gaze to Crow some. “Drink.”

Slim took in a shaky breath before he put the rim of the canteen to his lips and sipped at it, trying hard not to accidentally drop it or get too much water on himself. He found out some time ago that water, when applied to his skin, would cause it to become irritated and would break out into rashes that burned and itched like no other. He could consume the liquid, it could touch his lips, but the rest of his body wasn’t lucky. The only lucky thing about his skin was he never sweated and couldn’t necessarily stink: So showers were not needed. Crow watched him silently, tapping the bottom of the canteen when he saw Slim stop drinking. He may have thought it wasn’t enough and wanted him to have more. He didn’t want to waste the guy’s water; he didn’t deserve to be treated like this. Still… it was nice to have someone at least attempting to care about his health as much as he didn’t think so much about it.

Eventually Crow took back the canteen once Slim got his fill of it, taking a quick drink himself before capping it and standing up. He extended his hand down to Slim, Gobi flapping his wings. “Come. Home is right around the corner here.” And so, Slim took hold of Crow’s larger, gloved hand, being hoisted up without a problem before they began on their way, the bug man once more lingering behind as they made their way.

Slim was surprised to see a small home-made little cabin in the middle of the jungle. It must have been Crow’s, or it was a very, very old settler’s home only touched-up a little. It was covered in moss and vines from low dangling trees, windows cracked but still in-tact. Slim had stopped in his tracks, Crow making his way towards the door. He opened it with barely any trouble and looked back to Slim, beckoning him over with his head, leaving the door ajar slightly so he could enter without troubles. Now would be the perfect time to run away, be gone out of sight within seconds and forget that they had met at all. Instead, he found his bare feet trekking towards the door and not away from it, hesitantly opening the door before closing it behind him.

He looked around the place, everything inside of the cabin looking new or hand-build. There was a small stove in one corner along with some sort of freezer sitting beside it. A sink was set-up beside the stove with cabinets hanging above it, in-front of the sink a few feet away sat a small table, and as he looked around he spotted a mattress on the ground with a sleeping bag covering it as a sort of blanket with a rather fluffy looking pillow accompanying it. Yeah, sleeping on the floorboards didn’t seem like it’d be good for anyone. There also seemed to be another door straight ahead. Perhaps that was the bathroom? There was also an upstairs, but he’d wait to be shown around before assuming there was anything up there. Crow was standing near the freezer, having it opened as he rummaged around, looking for something as Gobi flew to sit on the table, flapping his wings as he chirped. The only light that illuminated the place was from both the windows, and a two individual fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling. Slim slowly put his pack down near the door and stretched his limbs, insect wings flapping quickly so they didn’t stiffen up from little use.

“Hungry?” Crow spoke, pulling a wrapped-up pack from the freezer, those goggle-covered eyes looking over his shoulder to Slim. Slim actually thought about saying no, and he was on the verge of saying so, too, but his stomach let out a loud rumble. It had defied him and said out-loud just how hungry he was.

“Uh… yeah… I suppose some food wouldn’t hurt…” A proper meal… that sounded nice as much as he didn't want to impose, “I… you don’t have to, I mean-“

“More than happy to,” Slim could have sworn he saw the corners of Crow’s lips twitch into a smile as he said that, unwrapping the meat from its casings and grabbing out a plate from one of the cabinets. “Feel free to look around. Sit on the bed over there, maybe nap…” the Mongolian gestured to the mattress in the corner before he began to work on preparing the meat to be cooked. The bug man shrugged his shoulders before slowly making his way to the mattress, bouncing steadily as he plopped down. He was careful with the sleeping bag, sharp claws not really suited for handling such things without the proper care. He laid down, legs not joining the rest of him on the bed instead just dangling off the side of the mattress as his head was rested against the pillow, the back of his hand resting against his cheek.

Well, to say that this was an interesting view of the other was one thing, watching him move in an almost graceful way while also catching quite a look at Crow’s ass a he moved around. Slim frowned, feeling a little embarrassed that was one of the things his eyes had technically landed on – his face heating up. He didn’t know if he could show that he was blushing, aside from the heat even he could feel coming from his face, but he prayed that it was near impossible to see it. He quickly rolled over, hands switching so the opposite was now under his head. His feet still hung off the side, being careful about his clawed toes so that they didn’t scratch-up the sleeping bag. Way better than any cave or tree branch out there, that was for sure.

Slim hadn’t even noticed he had actually zoned out and fell into sleep, before he knew it Crow was gently poking at him, squatting down by the bed as he did so. “Food’s ready.” He really didn’t want to get up, but since the other had been so kind to have actually made him something he couldn’t pass it up to sleep. He could do that later.

The Basilisk soldier sat up, scooting off of the bed to stand up fully, Crow standing with him. On the table were three plates, a tiny one that Gobi was already at and eating his share of what food had been cooked. It didn’t look like much, just some slices of meat with seasoning and a side of berries, but it was just enough to fill his nearly-empty stomach. He sat down at one of the chairs, only two being set-up there, before he sniffed at it a little. Smelt nice, it even made his stomach let out an eager growl. Slim gave an awkward chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck, “Uh… hey… thanks for this… I don’t mean to impose; you don’t really have to make me food. I can go a while without the stuff, it’s kind of how my body was made… go long times without food or water…”

“Everything needs to eat,” Crow replied, already biting into his slice of meat, looking to Gobi, “even things that are made to not.” He muttered. Slim couldn’t help but smile at that, beginning to bite into his slice. “… You look like you need it anyway.” he let out a throaty chuckle, Slim’s toes curling some at hearing such a thing. Why was _that_ so _attractive_? He couldn’t figure it out, so he tried to put it in the back of his mind and not think about it as he popped some berries into his mouth. Oh, sweet. A lot sweeter than the berries that he had earlier – those were bitter and didn’t exactly have the best taste but they were something for the time.

Gobi let out a squawk, looking at Slim before looking to his plate. There were bits that Slim had not eaten since they were a little bit too fatty for him. The avian creature hopped over, tilting his head before leaning forward, nipping at one of the tiny pieces as if to ask permission to take it. Slim merely slid the small pieces close to the edge of the plate, an indication he was allowed to have them. Gobi let out a small chirr sound as he scarfed them down, nuzzling Slim's hand a little. Crow chuckled.

“Gobi likes you,”

“I’m glad… Uh… hey, I was wondering…” he pointed to the helmet that Gobi was wearing. “Exactly what is this?”

“It’s a helmet.”

“… Yeah, I know that, but what does it do?”

“… Makes Gobi think I’m his mum,” Crow shrugged.

“Oh… so, are Batrays tamable?” Slim asked.

“No. No tame Batrays.”

“…Ah. So you had the helmet made so you could technically have a tame Batray?” He assumed.

“…” Crow shrugged once again before he stood up, taking the plates and putting them in the sink after cleaning what remained on them off into a trashcan that was hidden under the sink. Guess that Crow didn’t feel much like talking right then, to which he couldn’t blame the guy. Slim had asked far too many questions ever since they met. He just wanted to get to know him better because he seemed so distant. “You can have the bed down here…” Crow spoke up, “another’s upstairs.”

“Ah… thanks,” Slim was actually glad that they didn’t need to share a bed, which would have been rather awkward for first meetings: Sleeping next to a stranger on a small bed… Man that’d be something. Not that he’d mind in all honesty, but he wouldn’t dare say such a thing. How would Crow even react if he said it was okay if they shared a bed? He’d rather not think about it, hands kneading at his pants as a form of fidgeting. He hoped the other didn’t notice.

“You saw that Goliath?” Crow asked, looking at Slim as he leaned back against the counter. Slim nodded.

“Yeah, it was pretty badly wounded… why?”

“… Was wondering if you’d want to help me kill it?” he tilted his head as he asked the question, arms crossing over his chest. Gobi let out a chirp, nearly copying Crow with the tilt of his own little head. It was rather cute in a way, imitating his ‘mum’. The insect man couldn’t help but smile a little.

“Yeah… sure, I wouldn’t mind helping, I could be of some use,” he stood, grabbing his pack off the floor before he rummaged around in it, pulling out a small insect drone. He held it in his palm before it became active, looking around the room. “This is my healing drone, it’s something I used to use to… well, all in all it heals people if they’re hurt.” He watched as it flew around him, buzzing softly. The little drone hadn’t been active in a while, being turned off after Slim had fled to Shear. Crow seemed to smile a little.

“That’s good. Could come in handy.”

“It should.” Slim felt pretty proud of himself, chuckling softly.

Crow gestured to the bed, “You should rest, we hunt the Goliath tomorrow.”

Slim tensed up – tomorrow? Seemed that Crow didn’t want to waste any time, if it was still weak, now would be a good time to kill it. Slim could understand that; the longer the monster was out there the more damage it would do to everything around the jungle, the possibility of it healing and gaining a lot more strength was a great possibility. “Oh… okay then, uhm… well; I look forward to hunting with you in the morning.” He nodded. Crow nodded back before he made his way upstairs, Gobi flying after him. Slim looked to the drone, holding out his hand so the small insect could land in his hand, going inactive once more before being placed into the pack. He walked over to the mattress and flopped down onto it, pack lying beside him. He was more tired than he actually thought, instantly zoning out and falling into sleep, the sounds of the jungle surrounding the cabin dying down slowly.


End file.
